One step at a time

This past week has been quite busy. We started off with a lacrosse tournament, sent the two youngest boys to lacrosse camp, and now are about to head off to another lacrosse tournament. All through this time we have also been hit by multiple thunderstorms – this keeps me a little busy. I missed open skate with my youngest boy today, but I think we’ll be ok. I’m already fielding questions about next hockey season, and we haven’t even started the end of summer clinics yet. A big question I get a lot of is based on competitiveness. Some parents want a high level of competition for their player. This is great if the player is up for the challenge. The problem I see sometimes is that the player really isn’t ready for the level that the parents are. I’m a skills guy; I look way down the road and build towards a realistic goal. I didn’t always think this way. I was sure I’d spend a lot of time in the NHL when I was a kid. It was a great dream, but the bottom line was that it wasn’t really in my future. That didn’t mean hockey wouldn’t stay a part of my life, and that I wouldn’t still love the game. Now I see things for what they are. Hockey is a great sport, and is so because it’s fun. That’s right it’s fun. It’s true that it takes hard work to get to your potential, and that there are moments when it sure doesn’t seem like a lot of fun, but on the whole it really is fun; If it wasn’t, who’d want to play, and why. I like to play at a competitive level, but only if we should really be there. We work towards it, but there’s a lot to cover as you move up the ladder. You need to be prepared and you do this with practice and effort. If you’re looking to push a player too fast up that ladder, than you probably are missing the point of the real game. You build a foundation one step at a time and one day at a time. If I’m going put that much into it, then it better be fun. I don’t think we should worry if our kids will be hoisting the cup when they’re still having trouble tying their skates. Take your time, enjoy the ride and play some good hockey. We’ll have some fun, and probably get to be pretty good players if we work at it. I believe that good coaching, skill work, and a love of the game will do more than pushing a player beyond his true ability and potential. Everything needs to be gauged to the player. It is true that players need to find the correct level of play. They need to move on to a higher skill level and competitive level when they are ready. You don’t want to hold a player back if he or she can move on to a more appropriate level of play. This is where you need to really take a hard look at what is best for the player, and what your options are and what you want out of the game. If your shooting for college, then prepare for some hard work, it isn’t easy, but it’s a pretty good goal to set. It has some great benefits, like an education – that’s a big one, and a very useful one. If you’re looking to help the Bruins out – good luck, you’ll need it. Nothing’s impossible, and if you make it in the NHL or the MLL I’ll be rooting for ya. If you’re just out there to have a blast, then that’s pretty good too. If you’re out there and you’re not having any fun, something’s wrong. Lacrosse and hockey are two of the greatest sports ever as far as I’m concerned. When a player smiles during a game or practice – you know things are going to be all right.